TOWN PLANNING

A shiny new planning scheme has come into effect and everyone is excited about how the changes will improve the process for development within their council area. But wait, your development/construction project’s level of assessment has changed, which could ultimately affect the approval requirements. So, what does this mean for your project and how can the superseeded planning scheme help?

The wait is over – it is finally here! The newTownsville City Plan 2014which promises less red tape for dwelling houses and dual occupancy/duplex developments! But, what does the scheme really mean for residential development? And are things actually easier with less Council involvement?

Are you dreaming of building your own home? Well let’s imagine for a minute that you have just signed a contract to buy a block of land and about to set that dream in motion. However, amongst all the paperwork you notice that the property has a covenant over the land. So, what does this mean for the design and construction of your new home?

We have all, at some time, been lucky enough to stay a night at the dreaded “Highway Motel” where the constant noise from the passing cars and trucks has left you about 39 shy of the required 40 winks. So why is this lucky?

Congratulations! You’ve just received your Material Change of Use (MCU) approval from the council for your building project and you’ve subsequently applied for building approval with your building certifier. Seeing as you already have planning approval, it should be all smooth sailing from here right? Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

Everyone loves a home with a great view and this generally means your house must be built on a sloping site. Therefore it is important to determine any structural issues early on in the planning stage, or else things could go down hill very quickly.